XXIst Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS 2028)

The IABS Congress is the main international meeting of the Buddhist Studies field, held every few years. The 21st Congress will be hosted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, 31 July – 4 August 2028. The organizers are also considering options for online attendance.

Call for panel proposals

The planning committee invites initial panel proposals from all areas of Buddhist Studies:

• A description of the proposed panel topic of up to 200 words.
• A tentative list of potential contributors (not counted in the word limit).
• Send it to Jinhua Chen, chair of the planning committee, at info.iabs2028@ubc.ca.
• Deadline: 28 February 2027.

Accepted panels will be announced in the Second Circular, expected in April 2027.

Individual paper proposals are not open yet. A call for individual papers, with themes set by the committee, will come with the Second Circular.

Good to know

• Each participant may present only one paper. Presentations are 20 minutes plus 10 minutes of discussion.
• You need a valid IABS membership for 2028 to attend, and there will be a registration fee (amount to be announced).
• Accommodation bookings are expected to open in early 2027.

Details are in the First Circular (June 2026) on the IABS website.